I'm new in this forum--for only 2 months. At first, I could not believe all the things I was reading about parasites residing in our bodies, so I began doing my own research. For all those skeptics out there, there are easy research one can do, these are the ones that I found than can confirm the fact that parasites are causing alot of health issues here in the U.S.:

COMMON INTESTINAL PARASITES.
Am Fam Physician, 2004 Mar 1;69(5):1161-8.
Kucik CJ, Martin GL, Sortor BV.
Naval Hospital Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida, USA.
Intestinal parasites cause significant morbidity and mortality. Diseases caused by Enterobius vermicularis, Giardia lamblia, Ancylostoma duodenale, Necator Americanus, and Entamoeba histolytica occur in the United States. E. vermicularis, or pinworm, causes irritation and sleep disturbances. Diagnosis can be made using the "cellophane tape test." Treatment includes mebendazole and household sanitation. Giardia causes nausea, vomiting, malabsorption, diarrhea, and weight loss. Stool ova and parasite studies are diagnostic. Treatment includes
metronidazole. Sewage treatment, proper handwashing, and consumption of bottled water can be preventive. A. duodenale and N. americanus are hookworms that cause blood loss, anemia, pica, and wasting. Finding eggs in the feces is diagnostic. Treatments include albendazole,
mebendazole, pyrantel pamoate, iron supplementation, and blood transfusion. Preventive measures include wearing shoes and treating sewage. E. histolytica can cause intestinal ulcerations, bloody diarrhea, weight loss, fever, gastrointestinal obstruction, and peritonitis.
Amebas can cause abscesses in the liver that may rupture into the pleural space, peritoneum, or pericardium. Stool and serologic assays, biopsy, barium studies, and liver imaging have diagnostic merit. Therapy includes luminal and tissue amebicides to attack both life-cycle
stages. Metronidazole, chloroquine, and aspiration are treatments for liver abscess. Careful sanitation and use of peeled foods and bottled water are preventive.
PMID: 15023017 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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IMPROVED INSIGHTS INTO THE TRANSCRIPTOMES OF THE HUMAN HOOKWORM NECATOR AMERICANUS--FUNDAMENTAL AND BIOTECHNOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS.
Rabelo EM, Hall RS, Loukas A, Cooper L, Hu M, Ranganathan S, Gasser RB.
Department of Veterinary Science, The University of Melbourne, 250 Princes Highway,
Werribee, Victoria 3030, Australia. elidam.rabelo@gmail.com
Hookworms of humans are blood-feeding parasitic nematodes of major socio-economic significance in a wide range of countries. They cause a neglected tropical disease (NTD) called "hookworm disease" (=necatoriasis and/or ancylostomiasis). Necator americanus is the most
widely distributed hookworm of humans and is a leading cause of iron deficiency anaemia,which can cause physical and mental retardation and deaths in children as well as adverse maternal-foetal outcomes. Currently, there is a significant focus on the development of new approaches for the prevention and control of hookworms in humans. Technological advances are underpinning the discovery of drug and vaccine targets through insights into the molecular biology and genomics of these parasites and their relationship with the human host. In spite of
the widespread socio-economic impacts of human necatoriasis, molecular datasets for N. americanus are scant, limiting progress in molecular research. The present article explores all currently available EST datasets for adult and larval stages of N. americanus using a semi-automated bioinformatic pipeline. In the current repertoire of molecules now available, some
have been or are being considered as candidate vaccines against N. americanus. Among others, the most abundant sets of molecules relate to the pathogenesis-related protein (PRP) superfamily, comprising various members, such as the Ancylostoma-secreted or activation-
associated proteins (ASPs) and the kunitz-type proteins, both of which are inferred to play key roles in the interplay between N. americanus and the human host. Understanding the molecular biology of these and other novel molecules discovered could have important implications for finding new ways of disrupting the pathways that they are involved in, and should facilitate the identification of new drug and vaccine targets. Also, the bioinformatic prediction of the essentiality of genes and gene products as well as molecular network connectivity of nematode-specific genes, together with sequencing by 454 technology, are likely to assist in the genomic discovery efforts in the very near future, to also underpin fundamental, molecular research of
hookworms.
PMID: 18977428 [PubMed - in process]
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Necator americanus
American HW

ubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
IMPROVED MOLECULAR DIAGNOTIC TOOLS FOR HUMAN HOOKWORMS
Gasser RB, Cantacessi C, Campbell BE.
Department of Veterinary Science, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, Victoria 3030,
Australia. robinbg@unimelb.edu.au
Blood-feeding hookworms are parasitic roundworms (i.e., nematodes) of major socioeconomic importance, affecting millions of people worldwide. Despite their impact on human health, little attention has been paid to improving practical methods of diagnosis. The genetic characterization of hookworms and specific diagnosis of their infections are central to elucidating the ecology and epidemiology of these parasites as well as the control of the disease they cause. Traditional coprodiagnostic methods have major limitations. This article summarizes
progress in the development of molecular-analytical and -diagnostic tools, and discusses the need to establish practical 'laboratory' and 'field' assays for use in integrated hookworm prevention and control programs.
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